Imagine being an entrepreneur on the lookout for your next great endeavor. You find an enterprise with an existing customer base of over 20 years in your hometown of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. You like the product. You like the people. You like the business model and decide to move on the opportunity. You roll up your sleeves and get to work, learning about everything it takes to properly run the business.
Then, the worst happens: COVID-19! Now, the environment in which you expected to do business has ceased to exist and your strategic plan is completely shot. Corporate headquarters didn’t prepare you for this. Who could have anticipated, much less prepared for, a worldwide pandemic? Any businessperson would be dejected and understandably fearful. That’s exactly what happened to Dave Weill, owner of the Steak ’n Shake franchise on Old Fort Parkway.
Long ago, Dave knew he wanted to own his own business.
Steak ’n Shake franchise owner Dave Weill interviews with Blaine Little
“After working in retail, I realized I didn’t want to do that for the rest of my working career. In order to have more financial freedom and more time with the family, I need to have my own business,” Weill says. He had scoped out a number of opportunities including a car wash, but nothing struck him as a good fit. While at a banquet, a friend mentioned the Steak ’n Shake opportunity to him. It sounded just like what he was looking for. He jumped in with both feet, cooking, cleaning and checking out customers, all the things one needs to do in order to teach others. That was in late 2019, before many American business would nearly come to a grinding halt.
On March 24, Dave understood it was time to close the dining room due to state mandates. He took a few days to step back and completely reassess the situation of the restaurant. Of course, it was a time of stress for many entrepreneurs. Though dining rooms had to be closed down at that time, he knew what he could legally do in a safe manner.
Just a few days later, Dave reopened the drive-thru, and the line has been pretty busy ever since. It’s filled with loyal customers who have a steak burger or milkshake craving that can only be satisfied by Steak ’n Shake. But he didn’t stop there. He took half a dozen of the unused parking spaces and converted them into a nice picnic area on the property. They even have car hops! Now, you can just pull up, order off the app and someone will bring your food to you.
“Steak ’n Shake franchisees are in business for ourselves, but not by ourselves. We have a great support system from corporate. They were able to lay out the best way to move forward,” Weill said.
The business owner recognizes that much of his success has been due to his staff.
“People ask me all the time ‘are you hiring?’ and I tell them I am always looking for great people,” Weill goes on to say. “The culture is the most important part in a restaurant, so you have to have the right people.”
That’s good advice, because a business is nothing more than its people.
Dave says the best advice he can give a potential business owner is to be debt free; have the finances in order. He worked hard in order to pay off the mortgage on his home in 2012. That allowed him the financial independence to save up for the business he now owns. He also attributes his faith in Christ as being a source of his strength in uncertain times.
In the not-too-distant future, the dining room will open again after having been newly remodeled. Right now, the anticipated target date to fully reopen is Oct. 21. When it does, the ’50s-style diner will have new paint, new tables and new chairs. It will even have an electronic kiosk, the kind that so many establishments have begun to utilize. But the restaurateur says he intends to keep the picnic area and hop stops. So, what was initially a dilemma has turned out to be more ways that Dave Weill can better serve the public.
